Portable door-fastener



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEO. W. GRISWOIJD, OF CARBONDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

PORTABLE DOOR-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,646, dated September 5, 1854;

T o all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE IV. GRIswoLD, of Carbondale, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful `Improvements in Fortable or Removable DoorFastenings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, ref erence being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part thereof, in which- Figure l, represents one of the fastenings. Fig. 2, represents a modification thereof, and Fig. 3 represents the manner of applying the fastening to a door.

I am aware that, several varieties of door fastenings of a portable or removable character, have been made, but these are composed of two or more pieces, and involve a greater expense, with less certaintv of action, than that invented by me. To such fastenings, therefore, which comprise two or more pieces, I lay no claim-the nature of my invention relating solely to a fastening made of one piece, with two or more arms standing at right angles to each other, and having one serrated and one smooth edge, the former to be pressed into the doorframe so as to firmly hold, whilst the plain edge rest against the door to prevent marking or other injury'thereto.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A, represents a fastening of the form which I conceive to be most useful. It is composed of four arms B, B, B, B", meeting at a common center, and at right angles or nearly so to each other. One edge of each of these arms is toothed, serrated,

or otherwise roughened, so as to hold iirmly in the door frame when pressed against it. The other edge should be smooth, so as not to mark or injure the door. These arms may be of variable widths, so as to accommodate the fastening to the variable spaces or openings between the door, and its frame.

Fig. 2, represents a modification of the fastening shown in Fig. l, and has but two arms B, B. It is more convenient to carry, but is less limited in its adaptability to the purposes of fastening.

Fig. 3,4 represents one of the fastenings in place, C, being the door, and D, the door frame. The fastener to apply it to the door, is held edgewise, and the particular arm to be used, is run into the crack between the door and the frame up to the shoulder, then by using the other arm or arms as levers, the fastening is turned one quarter round, this forces the teeth on the inserted arm into the frame, and brings one of the other arms against the door with its smooth edge. Before the door could be forced open, the teeth, or wood in the door cheeks mustgive way. The fastening is removed by turning it backward one quarter of a circle, and drarwing it out of its place. fastenings can be made very cheap, as they may be stamped out of a steel or other metallic plate, at very little expense, whilst they are equally serviceable with those which co-st four times as much as mine do.

The fastening represented in Fig. 2, is equally effective with that in Figl, but has not so great an extent of adjustability, and either form can be made and sold, at a fraction of the cost of those now in the market as an article of commerce.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, I would state that I am aware that several forms of portable door fastenings, composed of two or more pieces have been made and patented. I do not claim any of these, but

That I do claim as of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent` is A portable or removable door fastening, made in one piece, and having two or more arms at right angles to each other, with one serrated and one smooth edge, so that when either of said arms is introduced into the crack between the door and its frame, and turned one quarter round, its teeth will be pressed into the frame, and the smooth edge of one of the other arms be brought against the door, to prevent it from being opened.

Gr. W. GRISWOLD.

Witnesses:

HoMER GUNNELL, W. R, BAKER.

These 

